CM Punk on Bringing New Eyes to UFC, Fan Concerns and Thriving Under Pressure

It's been a couple weeks now since former WWE Champion CM Punk made the huge announcement that he'd signed with UFC, with plans to debut in his first fight in mid-to-late 2015. And the internet has been an open floodgate of speculation ever since.

At this point, Punk has not yet selected a training location, but will most likely fight his first fight as a middleweight. Also, he'll be pitted against someone with a comparable experience level. And while there's certainly a lot of crossover between the fandoms of wrestling and MMA, there are also Punk fans who aren't that familiar with UFC and who are looking forward to watching him physically perform and compete in a whole new arena.

I had the chance to speak to CM Punk about the possibility of him bringing brand-new eyes to the sport, his deep-set passion for mixed martial arts, his favorite fighters, and how all the mounting pressure is actually beneficial for him.

IGN: Full disclosure: I am a UFC novice. But being a fan of yours from wrestling you will now be instrumental in getting me to watch my first UFC fight.

CM Punk: Okay, cool. That's the idea.

IGN: Is that something you expected all along? To bring in new eyes?

Punk: Yeah, without a doubt. How many will come over, I'm not sure. I try to be humble about this so I'm not going to say there will be millions of people checking it out, but I think there will be definitely people who've never watched UFC giving it a shot just to see me, sure.

CM Punk (photo via UFC.com).

IGN: And what would you tell those who are fans of yours from the WWE to expect?

Punk: I guess everything that I like about MMA is what I can tell them to expect from it. And from me. I just think it's exciting. I'm not a boxing fan, so I can understand people's apprehension at maybe watching MMA, but it's not boxing. It's a little bit boxing, it's a little bit wrestling - it's everything. It's mixed martial arts, so people coming over who are expecting to see me do anything like I did in the WWE will be severely disappointed. [laughs] But obviously it still all involves a group of athletes competing at the highest level. It's why I've always been a fan.

IGN: Was there a particular fight or fighter that made you become a fan of MMA?

Punk: No, I've been a fan of UFC since the first pay-per-view. Way back in the 90s.

IGN: Was there anything you took from MMA, style-wise, into the ring with you in wrestling?

Punk: No, not at first, but I definitely think that's pro-wrestling's tried to evolve with the rise of MMA's popularity.

IGN: You're leaving a business that you were a part of for a long time, and had become an expert at, to enter a new arena. How are you feeling about the decision?

Punk: Excitement, first and foremost. And there's a lot of pressure too, but I like pressure. It's that kind of thing that will actually help me perform to the best of my abilities. It will help me with training. It'll help with everything. You know, here I am doing media for something I haven't done yet, so the pressure's definitely there. But I thrive under pressure.

IGN: There are fans out there, from both the worlds of wrestling and MMA, who are criticizing this jump, for many assorted reasons. Does that sort of thing fuel you?

Punk: Yeah, I think so. But I also very much understand their point of view; where they're coming from. So it's certainly not just a case of me just kind of bucking back and trying to insult people. I get it. I understand. I understand everyone's comments. I understand everybody's concerns. They just need to maybe be a little more open minded about mine, you know? This is a hell of an opportunity for me and I'd be a fool to not take it.

Continue to Page 2 as CM Punk talks about health concerns in UFC vs. WWE, how long a potential UFC deal had been in the works, his favorite fighters and more.